6 Ingredient Bread Recipe – How to Make Easy Homemade Bread
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Looking for a very simple and tasty new bread recipe to try? This delicious 6 Ingredient Bread is so simple and uses only basic ingredients.
6 Ingredient Bread Recipe
Are you looking for a good basic bread recipe that you can make with only a few ingredients? Here’s the one that we have been making lately at our home. I hope you and your family will enjoy it as much as we have! This bread is perfect when heated up slightly and topped with some homemade jelly.
If you’d like to, you could also add some herbs or shredded cheese to this bread to give it some extra special flavor. Try dried herbs like rosemary, garlic, or basil to experiment with different flavors.
Let’s get started!
Homemade Bread Ingredients
- Yeast. This recipe uses instant, active dry yeast, or Rapid Rise yeast, not sourdough.
- Sugar. This is only to help give the yeast something to feed on. You could potentially replace it with honey.
- Water. Make sure you use warm water (but not hot!) to help give the yeast a boost to rise faster.
- Milk. The milk should be warm as well. You can use a dairy free milk alternative for dairy free.
- Salt.
- Egg. If you are looking for an egg free recipe, try the Basic White Bread instead.
- All Purpose Flour. This recipe has not been tested with gluten free flour.
Tips and Tricks to Making Homemade Bread
- Bread is a long process with the rising time but you can make several loaves at once depending on how many loaf pans you have. The extras can be sliced and frozen for future use.
- This is a great project to get the kids involved. If you have a stand mixer you could knead the bread through there (and they can help run it) or you can knead by hand as shown here and they can do that too!
What are the basic ingredients in bread?
All bread uses flour and some type of liquid like water. It also uses a leavening agent such as yeast or homemade yeast (sourdough).
This recipe uses egg and milk for added flavor.
What ingredients makes bread light and fluffy?
The leavening agent (yeast) and letting it have a good rise time is what will make your bread light and fluffy. You will want to take care not to add too much or let it rise too long or it can deflate, giving you the opposite effect.
Do you need a bread maker or stand mixer to make homemade bread?
You can use a bread maker or a stand mixer to make homemade bread but you don’t have to. This recipe does not use either.
Here’s a recipe if you are looking for a Bread Machine Bread.
And here’s a recipe made in a stand mixer for Homemade Basic Bread.
Instructions for Making 6 Ingredient Bread
In a large bowl, mix the warm water and milk together. Add your yeast and sugar to warm water. Allow the yeast to proof, about 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top.
Add the egg and salt into your yeast mixture.
Add the flour into your mixture.
Stir the flour in well until it is fully incorporated.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough well and roll it into a ball.
Using another bowl, grease the sides of the bowl with vegetable oil. Put the dough into a large, oiled bowl and punch it down.
Allow the dough to rise for at least an hour until it has doubled in size. Punch it down again and let it rise for an additional hour or until doubled in size again. Do not skip this step unless you want bread with a dense texture.
Once the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and split it into two halves. Shape each half into a loaf and place them into prepared loaf pans. You can also put this into one large loaf instead of two smaller loaves. I have USA brand Loaf Pans.
Bake the loaves at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or for 25-30 minutes if you do one large loaf.
Once the loaves are finished, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool. Placing them on their side allows the hottest part of the loaf (bottom) to get air and prevents the bottoms of your loaves from being moist and heavy. Remove them from the pans when you can and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
Brush a little melted butter on top of the loaves once they are on the cooling rack to keep them from getting too crusty.
You’re done!
How to Store Homemade Bread
Once the bread is fully cooled, you can store bread in a plastic bag, plastic wrap, or a bread bag on your countertop to eat over the next 2-3 days.
If you aren’t able to eat the bread after 3 days, slice it into pieces and place in the pieces into a freezer bag and freezer for later.
Need to print this to add to your Recipe Binder? Get the 6 Ingredient Bread Recipe below:
6 Ingredient Bread Recipe
How to make a simple bread recipe from scratch.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1/3 cup of warm milk*
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 3 cups of flour - plus extra for kneading
Instructions
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Mix the warm water and milk together. (You can also make this without the milk if you don't have any or to make it dairy-free. Simply omit the milk and add an additional 1/3 cup of water.) Add your yeast and sugar to warm water. Allow the yeast to proof, about 5-10 minutes, until bubbly on top.
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Add the egg and salt into your yeast mixture.
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Add the flour into your mixture and stir well until it is fully incorporated.
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Turn the dough out onto a floured workspace. Knead the dough well and roll it into a ball. Put the dough into a large, greased bowl and punch it down.
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Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour, until it has doubled in size. Punch down and let it rise for another hour. Then, remove it from the bowl and split it into two halves. Shape each half into a loaf and place them into prepared loaf pans.
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Bake the loaves at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
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Once the loaves are finished, remove them from the oven and allow them to cool.
Dairy Free 6 Ingredient Bread Recipe
You can also make this without the milk if you don’t have any or to make it dairy-free. Simply omit the milk and add an additional 1/3 cup of water or use a dairy free milk alternative.
If you are looking for a recipe without milk or egg, use my Basic White Bread recipe instead.
More Homemade Bread Recipes
- Basic White Bread
- Cheesy French Bread
- Irish Brown Bread
- Quick Pull Apart Rolls
- 50 Bread Recipes from Scratch
- Easy English Muffin Bread
How often do you make homemade bread?
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This recipe for 6 Ingredient Bread was originally posted on Little House Living in April 2020. It has been updated as of February 2023.
Thank you.
This recipe was very easy for me to follow and my bread came out great.
Thank you again
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Melissa and Julie. I’m still finding my way in bread baking. Does this recipe use all purpose or bread flour? Also can white whole wheat flour be subbed in for some of the AP flour? Thanks! I really enjoy your posts.
You can use either bread flour or AP flour. And yes, mom said she has made this with half wheat flour and it’s come out great!
Looks so good, curious why the tops care kind of crinkled and caved in. Never saw that in a loaf? Do you know what could cause that?
Butter on the tops will make them crinkle after a little while. It doesn’t affect the flavor or texture expect to make the tops softer.
Thank you for the recipe. I enjoy and look forward to your emails. Keep up the great work!
Will this adapt to gluten free bread?
We have not tried this recipe gluten free yet.
Okay, several comments:
1. This was lovely; it IS a traditional yeast bread, which requires time, proofing, etc. Factor that in if making it. And it is “bland” (NOT an insult, I just mean that you can add herbs, cheeses, brown sugar, etc.,to customize) – maybe a better word is it’s a good BASE??? Lovely on it’s own, but takes seasonings very well???
2. This is me, speaking solely from myself: I am LAZY when it comes to baking, cuz it seems we go through so much doggone bread, weekly, whether or not it’s daily sandwiches, or evening snacks. THEREFORE:
3. MY go-to is 3 cups self-rising flour (or your home-blend of flour/baking soda/baking powder/salt), and 12 oz of your favorite carbonated beverage!!! For sandwich bread, I use seltzer water (for those of you with a fizzy-water-maker, rock on!!!). For savory bread, I mix up – use beer, mixes of herbs/seeds/nuts/cheeses, etc. For “dessert” or sweet breads, I used dried fruits, nuts, etc., and whatever diet soda I think will work (at Xmas, I use cranberry-Sprite, plus an Aldi sweet trail mix…). Point is, it is only limited by imagination!!!
4. My “bread” is NOT a yeast bread and will, by definition, be more dense. BUT, it’s ingredients measured out, mixed, turned into loaf pans and baked – no mixing, no kneading, no resting (and, using my stand mixer, no hand-mixing). My life dictates less time commitment, I’m a loon half the time, I swear!!!
I did make your bread, and it’s wonderful!!! I wish my life lent itself to a routine where, like my mother-in-law, every Sunday she baked the bread for the week. I do my best, and this – for my family – is a nice compromise between time and end-result… who doesn’t come running to the house at the smell of homemade bread, eh??? lol
You have a wonderful blog; I’ve loved chiming in on Frugal Fridays!!! Keep it up!!!
MAMA, I have zero doubt this is amazing; I plan to bake up a batch this weekend, when I’ve a little more time to breadsit my bread!!!
Here’s one for you: Sweet or savory, it really doesn’t matter. Doesn’t nead to rise, barely needs mixing!!! 3 cups self-rising flour (or your own mix!) + 12 oz of something fizzy!!
THAT IS IT – stir it up, it’s sticky as all get-out, don’t knead, just turn into a 8-9″ (or 9×9″) pan spritzed with nonfat baking spray. OR get your groove one (!): Add some cheddar cheese, garlic salt, and dill; wait, NO! Hit it up with Sprite Zero, some dried cranberries, some chopped walnuts or pecans, or apricots… HELLO, Now you seein’ the ideas, the possibilities. Bake for about an hour at 350 – no eggs, no milk. Mix-Ins to your pleasure!!! I’d love to hear about your combos: I’ve done a major “fruitbread,” with diet generic Sprite, but also savory with club soda and dill, cheddar, garlic/ sometimes with just mixed fresh herbs / sometimes spinach, feta, some mozzarella… With Selzer water, “Fizzy” water, it’s a blank canvas – add 12 oz of beer and it’s what we call Beer Bread at St. Patrick’s Day!!! ENJOY the process!!! It’s a great way to get rid of dried fruit, frozen nuts, just stuff you’ve got hanging around, like, WHY do I have this??? In 3 c of self-rising flour and 12 oz of fizzy, you’ll know!!! lol Enjoy!!! ~Chrissie